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Tyre Recall Due To Inflation Error?

Automotive safety experts in the USA have said that “erroneous inflation recommendations from Ford” may have played a part in the recent recall of nearly 600,000 Continental tyres, fitted as OE on Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators. Rear tyres should have been inflated to 33 p.s.i., but Ford recommended 30 p.s.i. It has not been determined whether or not low pressure contributed to the current recall, but some observers pointed to the difference in recommended pressures by Ford and Bridgestone/Firestone as a factor in the spate of accidents involving Explorer SUVs and Firestone tyres.

21st August 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Official Opening Of Pirelli North American HQ And MIRS Plant

Pirelli’s new North American HQ and first US MIRS tyre factory were officially opened this weekend in Rome, Georgia. The ribbon was cut by Roy E. Barnes, Governor of Georgia and Pirelli North American President and CEO Gaetano Mannino. Various other local dignitaries attended the ceremony. The complex will employ 300 in three years time, 250 of which will be involved in production. Initially there will be three MIRS modules, but Pirelli says that this number “will substantially increase” by 2003. Pirelli also says that it expects to announce new OE contracts for MIRS tyres with more than one North American car manufacturer.

19th August 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Johnson Controls To Buy Varta

Johnson Controls, one of the leading automotive parts suppliers to the vehicle manufacturers is set to buy Varta for 312.5 million Euro. Johnson expect the deal to raise annual battery sales by 33 percent and increase its strength in the European market. The deal will give Johnson total control of Varta Automotive and an 80 per cent stake in VB Autobatterie, the remaining 20 per cent being held by Robert Bosch.

7th August 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

SmarTire Systems Raise Funds Reschedule Debts

SmarTire Systems has just announced the completion of a Warrant Offering and a Private Placement of generating gross proceeds of some 849,000 dollars. Additionally SmarTire has rescheduled debt repayments. “SmarTire is well positioned strategically, competitively and technologically to take full advantage of the increasing demands of the tyre and automotive industries for tyre monitoring technologies and products,” says Robert Rudman, President and Chief Executive Officer of SmarTire. “However, from a financial resources standpoint, we must build a stronger base. Our financial plan has been designed to achieve that objective and we are making progress despite current market conditions.”

6th August 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Restructuring Benefits Conti Figures

Continental’s second quarter results are generally encouraging; better than forecast by analysts. Group sales were up slightly (0.2 per cent) compared to Q1 last year, at 2.925 billion Euros. Operating income was 193 million Euros. Divisionally, the best growth in sales was achieved by the Automotive Systems division, which gained 10.8 per cent. Revenue at the other divisions – car tyres, truck tyres and ContiTech – all fell, though all made a profit. Analysts regard Conti’s restructuring as the main reason for the good figures although the North American business of Conti General continues to have an adverse effect on profits.

2nd August 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Chassis System From Continental

Continental Automotive Systems and Volkswagen have developed the Phaeton – with a chassis system with all-round semi-active variable control pneumatic suspension. The Electronic Air Suspension (EAS) resolves the differences between optimal handling and comfort by calculating and establishing the correct suspension force required every 10 – 15 milliseconds. The system is an integral element of a chassis solution incorporating engine management, brake control and stability control.

10th June 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Bigger-Than-Expected Loss For Goodyear

Goodyear has reported a first quarter loss of $63.2 million; larger than many analysts expected. The biggest regional operating loss was $51.3 m, incurred by the North American Tyre operation. Europe was profitable with operating profits of $16.6 m (Q1 2001 $31.4m), as was Asia. Sam Gibara declared himself “disappointed” by the figures, but he expected the company to “make progress in the second quarter”. The loss was blamed on production cuts, currency levels and the return of stock worth $10 m when the Penske Automotive Center chain closed. Despite the figures, Goodyear’s shares rose 3.6 per cent on expectations of profitability in the second quarter.

26th April 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Big First Quarter Loss For Ford

Ford reported a loss of $800 million for the first quarter, compared to a $1.13 bn profit for the same period last year. The figure includes $708 million in goodwill write-downs, mainly for Kwik-Fit, although core automotive operations lost $310 million in Q1 (Q1 2001: + $748 m). Despite the figures, Ford shares rose 2 per cent as the company forecast that it would outperform the market in Q2.

18th April 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Software Saves For Hayes Lemmerz

Software supplier MSC, working with Hayes Lemmerz, has reduced time and materials costs in automotive wheel manufacturing and design by using its MSC Acumen and MSC Fatigue software to perform durability analysis. Software simulation has allowed the design of lighter, longer lasting products which can save millions of dollars in manufacturing, maintenance and warranty costs. Khosrow Namdarian, senior structural analyst with Hayes-Lemmerz, stated “The advantage is that if you make 4 million of just one aluminium part per year and can save a quarter of a pound of aluminium per part, that adds up to one million pounds of aluminium saved in materials costs on just one part.”

18th April 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

No New Standard For Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems And Runflats In Sight

A short time after the Firestone recall in the US the Congress proclaimed a law so called Tread Act, the President signed it and it became effective. Especially the improvement in safety of the consumers was the target of this initiative, which should for a lot of products in the automotive area lead to changes, also for tyres and not only for tyre pressure monitoring systems. Among others was fixed that from November 1st all in the United States new registrated cars should be fitted with tyre monitoring systems. The American public agency NHTSA got the order to make proposals regarding the details of new tyre (safety) standards for the biggest vehicle market in the world. Under the title “Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems” the agency made a report, in which a lot of knowledge with regard of the contents in the Ford/Firestone dispute flued in. The NHTSA results should lead to a regulation the congress should agree on April 1st last year already. But even still now the procedere is not finished and got a set-back: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), a White House department, gave the NHTSA report back to the agency and made some additional proposals the NHTSA should proof before a new standard regarding to car tyres could be concluded. Most criticized by the OMB were: too high costs – for the national economy, the affected industry and the consumers.That car makers and suppliers still have to wait until it will be clear which regulations will be common is a pity: We learnt to talk about the round black things and are not really surprised when we hear about elevations with fatale results about the state of tyres. The nowadays state of tyre technology however could lead to a situation that the tyre is at the far end of reasons for accidents. Our magazine gives the newest developments in the April issue in detail and also gave some insiders the opportunity to publish their point of view. They all agree in one point: The world of tyres – in technical aspects – stands before revolutionary changes, and a lot of new chances.

17th April 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Car Industry Between Hope And Worry

The car makers usually use the Geneve Car Salon not only for the presentation of their newest models and show cars but also for a position-fixing. Because they are in all the world’s single markets present and – especially the volume car manufacturers – in most of the market segments, the differences mostly are only in nuances. Not often before the views were so far away than this year: optimists versus pessimists; pragmatism here, utopism there; the picture of the global car market is rather distinguished.Scientists in the automotive area see the luxury segment on the limit. They believe that the progress in sales some car makers believe in will not happen. Unbroken seems the trend to sport utility vehicles (SUV) and especially to those with a very exclusive appointment. If you see such a car you might think of the roots of offroad vehicles, but the car makers made them to onroad cars. Whereas “normal” cars in the US again lost 10.9 percent market share at the beginning of this year, more light trucks were sold than ever and with a plus of 4.4% made the distance to passenger cars wider. Also in Europe more SUVs were sold, but it is common that the market for this segment will stay under the state of North America. But two other new trends enter the focus: On the one hand so called cross-over models mixing two traditional car segments into one – for example cabrio and offroad. The second trend has the market of small cars in focus: the cars might be small but not cheap as a car like the Mini shows.In Geneve the managers and journalists discussed about company state of business, markets with a sales plus were welcomed, markets with a minus were grieved over: Usually it was the wrong policy, but definitely the bad economy guilty. And the suppliers are always in the shipping lane of the car makers.

17th April 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental Takes Over The Outstanding Shares Of Temic

Last year Continental bought 60 percent of DaimlerChrysler’s microelectronic subsidiary Temic for 398 million Euro. Now DaimlerChrysler pursued the option to sell the outstanding 40 percent to Continental for 215.3 million Euro. The German group has already renamed the new subsidiary as Conti Temic microelectronic GmbH which is under the leadership of Continental’s board member Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart and is part of the business unit Continental Automotive Systems.

10th April 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Shift of Michelin Production Towards Romania

Next month, Michelin will close its truck tyre plant at Burnley (UK) and move the production capacity to Romania where the company took over a local producer several months ago. This move was confirmed by CFO Michel Rollier during the Global Automotive Conference held by Morgan Stanley in New York.Rollier added that the truck tyre business should create an average operating profit between 13 and 14 per cent. In the previous year this had been just 8.8 per cent due to the declining market. – a result which was, in any case, much better than the competitors’ results. Rollier added that Michelin wants to intensify its passenger car tyre engagement in the European high performance sector and to improve its position in the winter tyre segment. Both segments meanwhile have become attractive markets. In the USA Michelin has been able to win market share and has exchanged 2.6 million tyres during the Firestone recall.

28th March 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Predicted Fall In Car Sales

Automotive analysts, Autopolis predict a 13 per cent fall in the European car market (from 1999 peak level, in the next 18 months. The claim is based on the European trend showing first in Scandinavian markets, Greece and the Netherlands. Danish demand has already fallen by 40 per cent, Finland by 20 per cent and Greece by 29 per cent in the last year. Economic conditions reinforce the prediction, which would see the market drop by 1.9million units by 2003. Autopolis expects recovery in late 2003, but that there will be little long-term growth till 2010, with Toyota and Hyundai making the greatest gains, whilst smaller producers lose share.

28th March 2002/by Tyrepress Editors

Continental: End Of Truck Tyre production?

Morgan Stanley sees Continental Shares as positives at the end of the 17th Global Automotive Conference. Conti boss Manfred Wennemer had previously stuck to the goal of reducing debts and had announced that Continental was to buy the remainder of the Temic shares from Daimler Chrysler in the co ming month at a cost of 200 million Euro. When, as planned in the previous year, all five factories have been closed down, more than 50 per cent of Conti’s production capacities will be located in low wage-cost countries. After Wennemer’s statements in New York, some analysts, as has already been quoted in leading economic journals, regard it as possible, or even probable, that Continental is already thinking about dropping its truck tyre production completely – whereas the passenger tyre sector is still closely allied to the concept of chassis management.

28th March 2002/by Tyrepress Editors